1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a depth stop device for use with a hand-held screw driving tool, in particular with a screw driving tool for use in a dry construction works. The depth stop device includes an axial element for driving a screw bit of the screw driving tool, and a sleeve element having a longitudinal bore in which the axial element is at least partially received along an axis of the longitudinal bore. An exit opening extends sidewise from the longitudinal bore. The exit opening is limited by a deflection surface which is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the bore in a direction of a housing side of the sleeve element and has a deflection edge in the longitudinal bore. The deflection edge has a tip extending in a direction of a working tool side of the sleeve element.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Depth stop devices of the type described above are used in order to be able to initially adjust a desired drive-in depth for a fastening element to provide for a uniform press-on force applied by sealing washers to a fastening element, e.g., in case of withering of the attachment point. A typical use of a depth stop device is an attachment of gypsum plaster plates, chip plaster plates, or fiber plates to a framework. Screwing takes place often without preliminary forming a bore. In particular, at an overhead work, material particles, which are released during a screw-in process, penetrate in the longitudinal bore of the sleeve element. In order to prevent penetration of the released material particles into the interior of the screw driving tool, appropriate seals should be provided on the screw driving tool. However, in many cases, the use of seals leads to power losses, and the seals are subjected to high wear. Alternatively, or in addition to seals, there is provided, in the depth stops, means for removing the material particles from the sleeve element. Thereby accumulation of gypsum in front of seals is prevented so that the costs associated with the seals, can be reduced.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,832 discloses a depth stop of a screw driving tool in which a longitudinal bore of a sleeve-shaped stop is provided with four side openings. Each of the side openings is limited, in both tangential directions and at the screw-driving tool side, by an inclined surface. With these surfaces, material particles which penetrate, during an operation, between the stop element and the bit holder of the screw driving tool, are shaved off the bit holder and are removed outwardly.
A drawback of the depth stop device of U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,832 consists in that the sleeve element has, because of a plurality of inclined surfaces, high manufacturing costs. Moreover, at overhead works, a relatively large amount of material particles accumulates on the deflection edges. A further drawback of this depth stop device consists in that with the known shape of the sleeve element, the working tool should be handled separately from the depth stop device to be able to carry out the necessary replacement of the working bit in the bit holder or to be able to remove an improperly set fastening element from a workpiece.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,816 discloses a sleeve element provided with somewhat keyhole-shaped openings. In these openings, a to-be-removed tool bit or a fastening element can be clamped or engage in to enable an easier removal of the tool bit or the fastening element from, respectively, the bit holder or a workpiece with the sleeve element.
An object of the present invention is to provide a depth stop device of the type discussed above in which the drawbacks of the known depth stop devices are eliminated.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a depth stop device that would insure an improved deflection of the material particles and a wide use of the depth stop device, while having reduced manufacturing costs.